It is probably as useless as all the other vapor-ware “Solutions” and only hampers the shittiest of cheats as well as the false positives. Probably the best and most ‘fair’ solution is “FairPlay” which I guess is realtime and post-game analysis of gameplay (which can also trigger false positives from what I’ve read), but at least it doesn’t siphon stuff from your computer, or block you from running applications, just to ensure you’re not an evil terrorist cheater.

Over the course of a 6-minute gameplay video, I discuss level design concepts and considerations that went into making the Man Vs. Machine mission in WATCH DOGS 2. Please watch with sound on since the commentary is a crucial component to this video.

Played some more this evening. I’ve come to the conclusion that the open world is the only thing still drawing me back - I love a world with a lot going on in which I can wander as I choose.

But at this point, the gameplay itself just doesn’t do it for me. I rarely quit a game before completion, and I like the characters and the general story, but I feel like I’m just going through the motions on the actual missions. I feel like they’re all now basically the same - find a way to get to an upper level to reach a physical hack, use the chopper to solve the “pipe” puzzles, use the little hopper to go into a shaft or hop up to some hack I can’t reach.

Money is completely irrelevant at this point; I think I’ve got $300K or more, I don’t really keep up because there’s nothing I really need to spend it on. I’ve pretty much got all the research items I want; in fact, the full gang “tag” one is pretty overpowered (I am playing a mission where there’s a LOT of guards and I know it should be a real stealth challenge, but I just tagged a couple and had the full powered gangs come in and start a shootout, and there are now no guards anywhere!) I have fun with the SWAT/cops option; if anyone on the streets messes with me, I just mark them and watch the cops come and take them away!

In general it’s a pleasant time waster, but not a game I dream about. Skryim, W3, some of the great games, I would find myself thinking about enough I’d sometimes have a dream with some element of the game in it. WD2 is a game that I am playing while I figure out what to play next that will totally grab me.

I think that’s a pretty fair assessment Jeff. I liked it enough to finish the main story missions, but I was on the fence about it. I avoided using the gang / cops powers because they did seem to go against the positive aspect of the game.

I think that’s a pretty fair assessment Jeff. I liked it enough to finish the main story missions, but I was on the fence about it. I avoided using the gang / cops powers because they did seem to go against the positive aspect of the game.

Yeah, in general I’d use the cops instead of gangs in order to prevent massive body counts. But as much as I intended (and tried) to play completely non-violent, and was able to for much using the hopper and chopper, the fact that security guards would spot me trying to sneak around and then not only immediately try to kill me, but would chase me out of teh area and down streets trying to kill me, made me feel these were the brownshirts of some evil dictator rather than hired security guards.

I’ll probably just quit side missions (I tend to play games like this by playing as many side missions as I can and only hitting the main mission line once in a while) and focus on the main mission line and finish it.

Played some more this evening. I’ve come to the conclusion that the open world is the only thing still drawing me back - I love a world with a lot going on in which I can wander as I choose.

But at this point, the gameplay itself just doesn’t do it for me. I rarely quit a game before completion, and I like the characters and the general story, but I feel like I’m just going through the motions on the actual missions. I feel like they’re all now basically the same - find a way to get to an upper level to reach a physical hack, use the chopper to solve the “pipe” puzzles, use the little hopper to go into a shaft or hop up to some hack I can’t reach.

That’s basically where I got to, and it’s now uninstalled. I’d probably have kept it long enough to finish if it weren’t on my SSD, but I was getting seriously fatigued. Sometimes you find a shortcut (hack!) that mixes things up*, but otherwise the later missions feel like going through the motions.

*On the satellite lab mission, I pretty much did the entire thing by riding around on the container crane. That was fun.

Well, I decided to just focus on the main missions and finish it, but I think I’m done. I just hit the Hackers missions. I enjoyed infiltrating the gang area and destroying the ATMs, but when I got to the next mission, infiltrating the bunker, I enjoyed getting into the bunker, but then a damned timed “pipes” mission with the pipes getting reset at one point.

It’s like they only have so many mission activities, and they decided the needed to ramp up the difficulty with a timer and a reset when you are partly done. I really, really don’t like timed missions in an open world game; it’s the opposite of what I look for in open world. I tried a couple of times and realized I really, really was not enjoying myself but drudging to get through the mission, checked online to see if there was a quick trick to finish the mission, then said screw it, I don’t have a ton of gaming time on my PS4 and this just isn’t something I’m enjoying.

So I quit. I’m now debating, to scratch my open world itch, either Fallout 4 (I’ve played them all, and don’t care if the main mission sucks, I play Fallouts to be able to create a character - usually a stealthy sniper - and role play it in a big world with a lot to explore and create my own backstory in my mind. The other one I’m considering is GTAV - I got the new version with the first person view option with my PS4 and never got very far into GTAV on my XBox 360 back in the day.

It took me several tries to get through that timed mission. Each time I learned a bit more where things were so I could move quickly. It was somewhat frustrating for sure.

As far as your next game I’d go with GTA V and I’m not even a big GTA fan. I’m not sure what would be best in your case though because the reason I liked GTA V was Trevor, and you don’t care about the stories too much in open world games. The city was well done and pretty cool, but I’m not too crazy about the moment to moment game play in GTA. It’s pretty repetitive.

e needed to ramp up the difficulty with a timer and a reset when you are partly done. I really, really don’t like timed missions in an open world game; it’s the opposite of what I look for in open world. I tried a couple of times and realized I really, really was not enjoying myself but drudging to get through the mission, checked online to see if there was a quick trick to finish the mission, then said screw it, I don’t have a ton of gaming time on my PS4 and this just isn’t something I’m enjoying.

So I quit. I’m now debating, to scratch my open world itch, either Fallout 4 (I’ve played them all, and don’t care if the main mission sucks, I play Fallouts to be able to create a character - usually a stealthy sniper - and role play it in a big world with a lot to explore and create my own backstory in my mind. The other one I’m considering is GTAV - I got the new version with the first person view option with my PS4 and never got very far into GTAV on my XBox 360 back in the day.

Fallout 4 is fine if you really don’t mind shitty writing and almost nonexistent quest design - most quests devolve into “Go to X, kill everything”. It can be a fun game, but by the end I was sick of it and only finished it out of some misguided dumb obligation. And the ending sucked too, as a final cherry on top.

GTA V is pretty damn great, enjoyed that one all the way through. Just a word of advice - ignore the Kifflom missions that parody scientology. It is some of the most trollingly timewasting bullshit I have ever seen.
But the main mission are great.

Also, thanks for impressions of WD2. Those cemented that it is 15 dollar at most purchase for me, and I will mostly want it just to explore that virtual SF anyway.

Finished this today and thought it was great. I didn’t notice any timed missions and certainly didn’t fail any. Very enjoyable and a huge improvement over the first game. Solving puzzles with the drones never got old for me, and starting mass fights with the SWAT and gang call powers was hilarious. Game is absolutely beautiful too. One of the best open worlders.

Finished this today and thought it was great. I didn’t notice any timed missions and certainly didn’t fail any. Very enjoyable and a huge improvement over the first game. Solving puzzles with the drones never got old for me, and starting mass fights with the SWAT and gang call powers was hilarious. Game is absolutely beautiful too. One of the best open worlders.

I’m curious - how did you do the bunker main mission and not notice any timed puzzles? That one is in the main mission line and very specifically the bad guy tells you he’s set bombs to go off in x minutes and you have to rush to get all the pipes all over the room lined up before the bomb goes off? Also the timed “pipes” in the mission where you have to prove at the festival you are the top hacker team?

Fallout 4 is fine if you really don’t mind shitty writing and almost nonexistent quest design - most quests devolve into “Go to X, kill everything”. It can be a fun game, but by the end I was sick of it and only finished it out of some misguided dumb obligation. And the ending sucked too, as a final cherry on top.

See, as pretty as WD2 is, the quest design in WD2 is what is killing it for me, The story is pretty good but then the mission becomes the same every time - go here, find a way to get to the box you need to hack, hit the hack button. Or first line up all the "pipes’ just right, which is fine unless they have timers on them.

See, as pretty as WD2 is, the quest design in WD2 is what is killing it for me, The story is pretty good but then the mission becomes the same every time - go here, find a way to get to the box you need to hack, hit the hack button. Or first line up all the "pipes’ just right, which is fine unless they have timers on them.

A lot of WD2 is enjoying the drones and the hacking powers. The holdovers from WD1 like traffic hacking and combat are much less useful than the drone and social upgrades, which are themselves key to solving most of the missions in the quickest and most elegant way. Or the messiest way, it’s up to you. Combat is really not the way the game wants you to play and it ends quickly whenever you try it. You only need Marcus in place for a hack in a few situations.

Just finished the game (was working through the Dragon Age series when it came out). I definitely enjoyed it a lot more than Watch Dogs. Took itself a lot less seriously this game (except that one mission, but I guess someone had to die. Sort of a Ubisoft thing). Thought the setting was well done. Granted, I don’t live in San Francisco, so it wasn’t as easy to pick out the glaring problems (like I could with Chicago, being that I live there), but it seemed a decent representation of San Francisco for a video game. Even had some flashbacks to similar areas in GTA San Andreas.

Overall, not a great game, but a good one. I’ll probably play again. I will say that if you’re like me, and like to collect everything first, you’ll be pretty overpowered once you start in on the missions. But then, I like being overpowered.

Well, I did something I rarely do - I quit a game before finishing it. The running around trying to flip the switches and then them getting reset and then racing the time mission just turned me off. I may go back to it one day, but missions like that are pure tedium for me - there is absolutely no gameplay enjoyment for me of any type in that kind of required activity. So I cranked up Fallout 4 just for a relaxed, open world. not gonna worry about winning or looking up stuff to optimize every decision, just explore and mentally role play, thinking I’d start this up and then go back to finishing WD2. And I found I have no desire to go back. I’ve seen everything there is to see in WD2 and basically done everything - I’ve used the hopper and chopper to solve infiltration puzzles, I’ve figured out how to get to hidden switches and boxes, etc.

I may go back at some point, I did like the characters, I did like the open world, but the gameplay finally just got tiresome for me.

Did I miss a mission? I don’t remember any mission that required finishing in a certain amount of time. Yes, those switches to turn red lines blue reset after a period of time, but I didn’t find those all that bad (at least using the drone, so you were high enough to see everything).

There’s a couple of the collectible skill hotspots in the city that do it, but there is one main quest that has it as well.

The final mission against the Prime8 group puts you in an underground bunker with one of those timed pipe puzzles. It can be frustrating because the hacker woman taunts you the whole time and towards the end of the puzzle she starts shifting pieces back.